What Family Does
by wallscollide
Summary: The flu sweeps through the Adams Foster household. Takes place in Season 1 a few months after Callie's and Jude's arrival, so they're not adopted yet in this story. Slightly AU since Stef/Lena are married, but this is before the wedding in the show.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I started this story over two years ago and just finally finished it after recently re-watching some of Season 1. Enjoy.

 **Chapter 1**

Wednesday - 7:28 AM

Everyone was downstairs having breakfast in the kitchen except for Callie and Jesus. This part of their daily routine was so much quieter without the latter zipping around on a skateboard and making smartass comments.

"Where are Callie and Jesus?" Lena wondered, knowing that it wasn't like her son to miss a meal; he lived to eat. She got up and went to the bottom of the stairs. "Callie! Jesus! Breakfast is on the table!"

Mariana took a drink of orange juice. "When I got out of the shower, Callie was still in bed."

"Oh, really?" Stef exclaimed, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah, same with Jesus," agreed Jude.

With that, Stef marched upstairs to retrieve the two stragglers. "You guys better get your lazy butts up and ready or you're walking to school!"

She knocked lightly on Mariana's and Callie's door. "Up and at—" She entered and stopped upon noticing that Callie wasn't the least bit ready for school at all. In fact, she was still in bed, wrapped up in her comforter like a cocoon. She was moaning in pain and discomfort, clearly shivering.

Stef immediately felt apologetic. "Oh, sweetie...I'm so sorry for yelling." She went over to feel her pale forehead which was hot and clammy with sweat. "Callie, you're burning up."

All she did was swallow and shiver in response.

"Does anything hurt?"

"Everything."

"How long have you felt sick?"

"Since last night."

"Okay. I'm gonna go check on Jesus, I'll be right back."

Stef went to Jesus' and Jude's room to find him in a similar condition as Callie: feverish, achy, and shaking with chills.

Stef went halfway downstairs to get her wife. "Lena, come up here, please. We've got a couple of sicklings."

"Oh, no..." She did as Stef asked and followed her to check on Callie. "She's burning up." They both turned their heads toward the sound of a loud, barking cough and sighed.

Stef went to get medicine and the thermometer while Lena tended to Jesus. "Hey, bud. You're not feeling so hot, huh?"

He shook his head.

"Callie's sick, too. Mom's gonna give you both some medicine, okay?"

Jesus started to cough again which was exhausting him further.

"I'll get you some water." Lena left his room to check on Stef and Callie. "How are we in here?"

"A temp of 101.9, poor thing." She held up the bottle of NyQuil. "Is cherry okay?" This was Callie's first illness since she came to the Fosters; they had no idea what flavors of medicine she had a preference for.

"'s fine," she mumbled, wishing that she wasn't so cold.

Stef poured her a dose of the red liquid. "Try to sit up for me." She did as best she could and drank it before falling back into her previous position. "That should help you sleep, okay?" Stef reached to brush a few stray hairs off of Callie's forehead. "Let us know if you need something else."

Lena went downstairs to get Jesus some water and Stef left Callie to further assess him. "Hey, my sweet knucklehead. Let me check your temperature." She placed the tip of a tympanic thermometer in his ear and waited for it to beep. She whistled lightly as a few lines crinkled her forehead. "102.1. I've got NyQuil."

Jesus swallowed the medicine and lay back down. "Thanks, Mom."

"Sure thing, honey."

Lena came in with water. "Here we are."

Jesus drank a few sips through the straw and she set it aside.

"A flu bug's been going around..."

"Don't worry about missing work, I'm gonna call Roberts and take a personal day; I'll stay with them."

"Alright." Lena looked at her watch. "Time to go. I'll call later." They kissed. "I love you."

"You, too. Have a good day."

Lena kissed Jesus on the forehead. "Feel better, sweetheart. Good luck," were her parting words to her wife.

Stef chuckled a bit as Lena left to take the kids to school.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who left reviews; I hope the lurkers out there decide to do so, as well. I also forgot to add a disclaimer in that the only thing I own involving _The Fosters_ is my idea for this story.

 **Chapter 2**

Wednesday - 8:02 AM

After Callie and Jesus were settled for a moment, Stef made sure to call Anchor Beach's attendance hotline; all excused absences were to be called in by 9 AM. Just because Lena was the vice principal did not mean that they got to skimp on the rules. "Hi, this is Stefanie Foster calling in for my son Jesus Foster and my foster daughter Callie Jacob. They both have the flu and will be absent today. Thank you. You, too."

Stef placed their cordless phone back on its base and sighed. She went back upstairs to hers and Lena's bedroom to fold laundry that was washed the night before. When that was done, she placed the basket on the carpet and peeked in on Jesus. He was asleep and snoring lightly, taking raspy breaths.

She turned to check on Callie and heard her sneeze. "Bless—"

" _Heh'chew! ... Heht'CHEW!_ "

" _Bless_ you, Cal." She went to Mariana's desk and grabbed the tissues and trash can to set them next to her bed.

Callie begrudgingly snaked an arm out from under her blanket and pulled a tissue from the box, coughing lightly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She turned to leave.

"Stef?"

"Hm?"

Callie could feel her face start to turn red and it wasn't from the fever. She wasn't used to being care of while sick and hated to ask for things. "Um...can I have another blanket?" She shivered, knowing that if she wasn't feeling so cold and weak she would've gotten it herself.

"Of course." Stef retrieved an extra blanket from the hall closet, draping and tucking it around her. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks," she said, more relaxed.

"Follow Jesus' lead and try to sleep, okay? I'll be in the kitchen."

Callie heard Stef's footsteps grow quieter as she went downstairs. She sighed and closed her eyes in order to let her body rest.

Wednesday - 11:44 AM

Callie woke up with a start. She turned her head to look at the clock and realized she'd only slept about three hours. She groaned, suddenly feeling hot, and kicked her blankets off.

Deciding to get up and splash cool water on her face, Callie slowly rose from the mattress and placed both feet on the carpet. She stood and began shuffling slowly to the adjourning bathroom, feeling woozy from her fever and fatigue. About halfway there, the chills returned; she went back to bed and burrowed under the blankets, shivering audibly.

Callie heard footsteps as Stef poked her head in. "Callie? You okay? How long have you been awake?" she asked, worried that the teen hadn't slept.

"A f-f-few m-minutes," she stammered. "Was hot, now'm cold."

Stef felt Callie's forehead and cheeks as she started to cough. "I'm gonna check your temp again." She did so and it was up slightly to 102.2 degrees. "Your fever's up. Do you want some Tylenol?"

"No." As long as she was freezing like this, it didn't make a difference to her if she had a fever or not.

"Alright. Do you need anything?"

"No," she repeated.

"Don't get too bundled up, okay? That'll just make your fever worse."

Callie loosened up in her blankets slightly but hissed when the seemingly frigid air hit her skin. She quickly sealed off any gaps between the blankets and the mattress.

"Just relax."

Stef decided to check on Jesus and found him still asleep. His skin was slightly cooler and she was thankful that the medicine was doing its job.

Smiling, she thought back to when they had just filed Jesus' and Mariana's adoption papers; Jesus had stayed home from school with a cold and they spent the day together watching cartoons. Stef read to him until he fell asleep, _The Enormous Egg_ , if she remembered correctly.

Stef exited Jesus' room and went downstairs to do some more cleaning before everyone else got home.

 **I want to know what you guys think. Reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews, all. I'm glad you're enjoying this.

 **Chapter 3**

Wednesday - 3:27 PM

"Guys, be quiet. Jesus and Callie are probably sleeping," Lena said as everyone entered the house after school. "Jude, Mariana." They turned around at the sound of their names. "Don't go in your rooms. Mom and I already talked it over: you guys have to stay out until they're better. The last thing we need is everyone going down for the count."

"What about my stuff?" Mariana huffed. "My clothes, laptop—"

"Mom or I will get them for you. You two are gonna camp out in the living room until we say otherwise. Got it?"

They understood; Mariana got a head start and turned on the TV while Jude went to the kitchen. Lena followed him and found Stef reading the paper.

"Hey, honey."

"Hey, yourself." They kissed. "I got the Cherry 7up that Callie wanted."

"Great, she'll appreciate it," Stef said as she put it in the refrigerator.

"How's Callie?" Jude asked, remembering how being sick was the last thing you wanted to happen while being in a foster home. Most families they had been placed with ignored the illness and let it run its course with no intervention.

Stef was touched by Jude's concern for his sister. "She's pretty sick, bud. She has a fever and is really tired and achy. We're taking good care of her, I promise. This flu has knocked her on her butt, but she'll be fine in a few days. Don't worry."

Lena asked her wife, "Are they both still sleeping?"

"Last time I checked. What are we gonna do for dinner?"

"I was thinking soup. I'll make a big pot."

"Good idea."

"I'm gonna go check on them." Lena went upstairs and cracked open Callie's door, finding her asleep. She would have left it at that, but she noticed that Callie had kicked her blankets off at some point. Upon closer inspection, she was fighting a bout of chills that left her continuously shivering. Lena covered her back up, tucking the blankets in slightly.

Across the hall, Jesus was awake for the first time since the morning. "Hey, sleepy. How're you feeling?" She didn't feel much of a difference in his temperature.

"Crappy. What time is it?" he asked as he began to cough.

"Going on 4."

"I've been asleep all day."

"That's what Mom said. Do you need anything?"

"No, I think I'm gonna go back to sleep," he replied, settling into his mattress and blankets.

"Okay." Lena went back downstairs to get started on the soup.

* * *

Wednesday - 5:53 PM

Dinner passed relatively quietly without Jesus and Callie present. After the food and dishes were put away, Lena and Stef went upstairs to check on them.

Jesus was in the middle of a coughing fit when they approached his door. Lena knocked gently. "Are you alright, Jesus?"

"Yeah," he assured them, slightly out of breath.

"We're gonna have to watch that cough, young man. Make sure it doesn't become something worse," Stef said, noting how her son was rubbing his chest in discomfort. "Are you hungry? Mama made chicken soup."

"No, thanks." His normally unending appetite was nonexistent.

"Can we get you something else? Some water, maybe?" Lena suggested, knowing that he needed to stay hydrated.

"Sure."

"I'll get it, love." Stef exited to go to the kitchen.

Lena went across the hall and quietly opened Callie's door to find her awake and fighting off a bout of chills.

"Hey, sweetheart. You okay?"

"J-just c-c-cold," she replied with chattering teeth.

Lena found her skin still as hot as before, worried that the chills were raising her temperature. "I'll be right back," she promised and retrieved the thermometer from hers and Stef's bedroom. "I'm gonna take your temp again, okay?" She gently pulled down the blankets a bit to expose her ear. It beeped and read 102.5 degrees.

"How's it going in here?" Stef wondered.

"Her fever's up; 102.5."

"Okay...fluids for now. Lena picked up some Cherry 7up, would you like that?"

Callie nodded, still shivering.

When Stef returned, Callie took two pills and chased them down with the soda. "Thanks." The exertion of sitting up made her start coughing. She groaned when she finished.

"Just rest," Stef said and the two of them left.

Callie now felt exhausted and restless; she was so tired, but couldn't fall back to sleep. She wondered how Jude's school day went; they usually talked about it while walking home. Mariana also used that time to share the latest gossip with her. She assumed that Jesus was feeling as bad as she was, this was awful. She turned on to her side, coughing again.

Concerned, Stef came back when she heard Callie's extended fit. She had her face in her pillow, her body pitching forward due to force.

Stef knelt beside Callie's bed and rubbed her back, attempting to comfort her until the coughing stopped. She handed Callie the glass of Cherry 7up that was on the nightstand; she drank gratefully.

"Sorry," she mumbled, handing Stef the empty glass. She still wasn't quite used to so much attention from legal guardians, especially when sick. Usually, she would be left alone to sweat it out if she wasn't forced to go to school.

"Don't be sorry, Callie. You can't help it. _I'm_ sorry you feel so bad. On second thought, have some more NyQuil; you need to rest."

"I don't think I can sleep without it," Callie replied honestly; her body was exhausted, her mind just wouldn't shut off.

Stef flicked on the lamp and handed her the dosage cup, placing it back on the bottle cap when she was done. "Get some sleep, Cal." She left the door slightly ajar.

* * *

Thursday - 2:14 AM

Everyone was asleep; Jesus had woken up a few hours earlier, but was sleeping again due to the NyQuil.

Stef and Lena were suddenly awoken. Trying to clear the fog, they could hear noise coming from Callie's room.

"I'll go check on her, babe. You have work in the morning," Stef reminded her wife. They decided that she would stay home with Callie and Jesus again. She got up and opened Callie's door to find her moaning and mumbling unintelligibly.

"Stop...don't...no..." Stef could definitely make those words out.

"No!" Callie jolted awake, gasping as she recoiled away from the shadowy figure in front of her.

"Callie, it's okay," Stef shushed her. "It's Stef. You're okay; you're in your room. You were having a nightmare."

Callie took deeper, calmer breaths as she became more aware of her surroundings. "Stef...?"

She was at her side in an instant. "Yes?"

"Did I wake anyone?"

"Just Lena and I. Don't apologize. Are you okay?"

Callie could see the concern on Stef's face. "Yeah. You know fever dreams; they can be really bizarre."

"When I was sick a few years ago, I dreamed that I was being chased by a killer toaster." That earned Stef a chuckle. She reached to feel Callie's still-warm, sweaty forehead. "Do you think you can fall back to sleep?"

"Yeah, go back to bed. I'm fine."

Stef rejoined Lena in bed, preparing to do the previous day's routine all over again.

 **Will update again soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks yet again for your feedback. I got stuck on this chapter over a year ago; I've read and re-read it so many times, but nothing sparked or inspired until a couple of weeks ago. The fifth section (Friday - 5:03 PM) was the first thing I wrote down when I decided to finish this.

 **Chapter 4**

Thursday - 10:20 PM

Stef and Lena were exhausted from the day's events. Between school, work, appointments, and taking care of two sick teenagers, they had hardly gotten any one-on-one time.

Jesus and Callie were feeling slightly better; their fevers and other symptoms were less menacing, but they both still slept most of the day.

"Well, I don't know about you, Lena, but I am _beat_ ," Stef sighed, then yawned. "Good night, love you."

"You, too." Lena reached to flick off the lamp and felt Stef wrap her arms around her torso. Soon, they were both asleep.

* * *

Friday - 5:59 AM

Stef and Lena were both asleep when the alarm clock sounded, meaning that it was time to wake up. Lena reached over to silence it, stretching. She yawned. "Do you wanna shower first?" There was no answer. "Stef?" She nudged her.

"Hm...what?" she slurred.

"Do you wanna shower first?"

"You go ahead, I—" A few coughs prevented her from finishing that sentence.

Lena just sighed and sat up, reaching over to feel her wife's forehead. "Fever. Aches?"

"Yeah. Chills, the whole bit."

"Were you feeling like this yesterday?"

"I was just tired last night, maybe a bit chilly."

Lena got up to retrieve the thermometer and NyQuil from their bathroom. She took Stef's temperature. "101.6."

"Fantastic, what do I win?" she quipped with faux enthusiasm.

"The next few days in bed."

"Does my prize include you?"

"If you want Brandon, Mariana, and Jude to take over the house."

"I think I'll have to pass just this once, honey."

"Understandable. Do you want to call Roberts or should I?" Stef obviously needed to take a sick day.

"You go ahead. I'm not fit for proper conversation."

Lena picked up the land line and dialed Captain Roberts' number.

"Hey, Foster."

"Excuse me, this is Lena."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What do you need?"

"Stef caught the flu that the kids have, she's gotta take another day or two off."

Roberts sighed. "May I speak with her?"

"Yes, she's right here." Lena passed the phone to Stef.

"Captain? Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, 101.6. Sure. Okay. Got it. You, too and thanks. Bye."

Lena hung up the phone.

"Roberts just told me to stay home until the fever's gone and no patrol until I'm one-hundred percent. She hopes we're all better soon."

Lena poured Stef a dose of medicine which she swallowed. "Go back to sleep, babe."

"I'm sorry, Lena."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad that one of us could stay home with Callie and Jesus."

"I'm paying for it now. Lena, get me another blanket, please."

Lena did so and went to shower and take the healthy family members to school.

* * *

Friday - 12:06 PM

Stef had been sleeping since Lena and the others left that morning, but now she was awake and thirsty. Knowing there was no chance that she had the strength to go downstairs, she called for the only two people in the house, hoping that one of them was awake.

"Callie? Jesus?" The exertion caused her to cough.

Callie was the first to pop her head in the doorway. She had just gotten out of the shower, she had put on clean pajamas and her hair was wrapped in a towel. "Yeah? Do you need something?" She went over to the bed.

"Can you get me some water? You're looking better," Stef noted as she observed that a bit of color had returned to the teen's face.

Callie barked out a laugh. "I doubt it, I still feel crappy. I'm sorry we got you sick."

"Don't worry about it. Part of the job." She reached for the box of tissues that was on the nightstand. "Is Jesus asleep?"

"Yeah, he's still feeling pretty tired."

Stef blew her nose. "This sucks."

"You don't gotta tell me," Callie reminded her and went to the kitchen to get Stef a glass of water.

"Thanks." She had a few sips and set it down.

"Is that all you wanted?"

"Yeah. You two are over the hump, but a fever still means bed rest."

"Don't worry, the shower wore me out. I need a nap."

"Okay."

Callie left Stef alone to sleep. She went back to her room and brushed her damp hair before crawling back into bed.

* * *

Friday - 3:30 PM

After checking on Callie and Jesus, the latter having some soup, Lena decided to peek in on Stef to see how she was doing.

She found her wife asleep facing away from the door, snoring lightly with a tissue enclosed in a loose fist. Upon closer inspection, Lena could see that her face was not only white but flushed as well and she gently checked her temperature. She didn't feel much of a difference from that morning, but she took comfort in the fact that Stef was resting peacefully.

Not wanting to risk disturbing her, Lena quietly left and went to Jesus' room. "How's the soup?"

He smiled a bit. "Good. Thanks, Mama."

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

"Can I see Lexi tomorrow?"

"We'll see..."

Jesus' coughs interrupted her. They still sounded deep and like they were hurting him.

"...how you feel tomorrow. A definite no if you're still coughing like that."

"It's getting better, I know it," Jesus said matter-of-factly and ate another spoonful of soup.

Lena smirked at his confidence and left to join the healthy half of their family downstairs.

* * *

Friday - 5:03 PM

Lena checked in on Stef once more before dinner time. She was awake and coughing.

"Hey, babe. How are you feeling?" She went over to her and kissed her forehead. "Still warm," she murmured.

"For once, I think death would be preferable," she stated gravely.

Lena laughed. "Oh, stop."

"I'm serious. I can't remember the last time I felt this bad."

"I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay— _Eh'shoo! Ehshoo! Esh!_ Ugh." The sudden movement made her aches feel worse.

"Bless you. Poor love." Lena pulled a few Kleenex from the box and held them up to Stef's nose. "Blow," she instructed gently and she did.

"Thank you, Lena."

"I'm gonna have Brandon run to the store for some things. Do you want anything?"

"Cough drops. Honey lemon."

"Got it."

"Can I have some tea?"

"Sure. Camomile with honey?"

"Please."

"Coming right up." Lena left and returned with a warm mug. She helped Stef sit upright and handed her the drink.

"Is it too hot?"

"It's fine, honey, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Hand me another Kleenex, would you?"

Lena did so and Stef wiped her running nose; the steam from the tea was loosening up her congestion.

Mariana stopped in the doorway on her way past. "Hey, moms."

Stef smiled. "Hi, Miss Thing. How was school?"

"It was good, I think I did well on my biology test. How are you feeling?"

"A little better with some tea. Mama's taking good care of me."

"Good. Glad to hear it."

"Mariana, go set the table for dinner, please."

"Okay. Feel better, Mom." She blew Stef a kiss.

"Thank you, sweets. Love you."

"I love you, too." Mariana left to go downstairs to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna send Brandon out and finish dinner, okay? Drink your tea and you can have more meds."

"Alright, love. I'm okay for now. Let everyone know I'm still alive," Stef said with a laugh.

Lena smirked. "Sure thing. I'll be back in a bit."

By the time dinner was over, Stef was asleep again, completely exhausted. Lena crept in quietly to collect the empty mug, kissing her wife's hair and smoothing the blonde waves. She left the bag of requested cough drops and a new bottle of NyQuil on the bedside table, turned off the light, and exited.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Saturday - 10:30 AM

Callie and Jesus went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast, both feeling well enough to share a meal with the others.

"Hey, you two. Glad you could join us." Lena felt their foreheads. "Finally, cool as cucumbers. How about some toast?"

They both agreed to that and sat down at the table.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Brandon remarked.

"Thanks, dude."

"Thanks, Brandon."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Jude said to Callie.

"Me, too. I missed you. I hope you haven't given Lena any trouble."

"Of course not," Lena objected immediately, giving Jude a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. "He's been a big help with cleaning and dishes."

"How's Mom?" Jesus wondered.

Lena kissed the top of her sweet boy's head. "She's hanging in there, bud. A restless night, but she's sleeping now, thank goodness."

"I hope none of you guys get it, it sucked ass."

" _Jesus_ ," Lena warned with a slight smile, even though she had sort of missed his comments over the last few days.

"What? It's true."

"Language."

"Sorry."

"How has school been, Jude?" Callie asked; she needed to catch up on the latest news.

"Good. I got a B on my English test on Thursday."

"That's awesome. High five." They smacked their hands together.

"On Monday, we're starting a project. We have to write a report about someone famous, make a poster, and give a speech."

"Cool. Have you picked your person yet?"

"No, not yet."

"If you want help or suggestions, let me know."

"Okay."

After breakfast, Brandon went to piano practice with Callie and Jesus returning to their rooms to rest. Lena went upstairs while Jude and Mariana helped with the dishes.

"Oh, my love...you're exhausted. Do you feel rested at all?"

Stef sighed. "Not really. How are Callie and Jesus?"

"Their fevers broke last night. They just had some toast."

"That's good."

"They should be well enough to go back to school on Monday."

Stef started to cough and groaned.

" _You_ , on the other hand, are not going anywhere." Her eyes and face showed concern.

"Wasn't planning on it," Stef replied and closed her eyes as a sudden wave of chills hit.

Lena went to her side of the bed and crawled in next to her wife, offering her body heat while rubbing her back soothingly.

"You're the best, Lena. Truly. I'm so lucky to have you."

She almost teared up at that; she hated to see Stef so sick, knowing how strong she always tried to be for everyone. "And I you, sweetheart. Try to sleep, I'll be right here."

"Okay..."

Stef drifted off soon after and Lena ended up falling asleep at some point as well.

Brandon knocked lightly on his moms' door and saw that they were both sleeping. He gently prodded Lena awake.

"Oh...hey, B. What's up? How was practice?"

"Good. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving for Aiden's."

"Okay, thank you. What time is it?"

"A little after one."

"Alright. Have fun," she said, stretching.

"Okay. Tell Mom I said bye."

"I will."

Brandon left and she heard the front door close before she got out of bed as quietly as possible. She went to Stef's side and cleared the table of used tissues and cough drop wrappers, making a mental note to find another box of Kleenex. Just as she turned to leave the room, Stef stirred and opened her eyes a bit. "Lena...?" she rasped, coughing.

"Hey. Hey, you." She cupped Stef's face with her hand and put the glass of water up to her lips.

"Thanks," she breathed after she had a few sips. "Ugh, I feel hot." Stef weakly tried to take some blankets off and Lena finished the job, leaving her with the sheet and a quilt.

Lena felt her wife's neck and cheeks. "You are still burning up, honey. Do you feel worse?"

Stef swallowed. "No. Will you help me to the bathroom?"

"Of course. C'mon, up you get." Once Stef was standing which was a feat in and of itself, she held on to Lena as they shuffled across the carpet.

"Do you got her, Mama?" Jesus asked as he peeked in, wondering if she needed some extra muscle.

"We're okay in here, Jesus. Thank you."

Lena left Stef alone to do her business, but soon heard sniffling from inside. "Stef? Are you okay? Can I come in?" When she didn't answer, she slowly opened the door and went to her. "What's wrong? Does something hurt? Can you get up?"

She couldn't look up at Lena. "I didn't...I didn't want Jesus or the kids...to see me like that..."

Lena's heart broke as she realized that Stef's pride was bruised. "Oh, my love. My sweet, sweet, love. Come here." Stef fell into her arms and Lena rocked her. "It's okay. It's okay to be sick and tired and weak. You're gonna feel much better tomorrow, I promise. You did such a great job of taking care of the kids this week, babe. I saw how good you were with Callie; you made sure she knew we were there for her. You always step up when needed and I love you for that. We all just want to return the favor. We want to help and be strong for you when you can't be. Jesus just wanted to help because he loves his mom. That's what family does."

"I know," Stef sighed, wiping her eyes wearily. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful."

"I don't wanna hear that from you." Lena kissed her forehead. "You are the most selfless, caring person I know. You go the extra mile for everyone, no matter what. You could never be ungrateful, Stefanie Marie."

"I got snot all over you." Stef laughed a bit.

"At least it's not vomit, right?"

"True."

"I don't care, honey. It'll wash out. You okay to go back to bed now?"

"Yeah."

Lena got Stef resettled in bed and took her temperature. "102.4."

"Well, that's not good. The kids' weren't that bad," Stef remarked, coughing.

"Do you remember when Mariana had that horrible ear/sinus infection...?" She was nine; it was the catalyst that caused them to decide to adopt both her and Jesus.

"Mhm. Her fever spiked."

Lena nodded. "To 104."

" _That_ was a long night," Stef recalled with a sigh. Just thinking about it was exhausting. They had rushed her to the emergency room at 1 AM for fluids and IV antibiotics. "She was _so_ sick and scared. We took turns staying up with her."

"My God, those chairs were uncomfortable. I needed a chiropractor after a few hours in that thing."

Stef chuckled. "Me, too."

Lena brushed hair out of her wife's face. "Can I get you anything?"

"Tissue..."

Lena hurriedly handed one off as Stef began to sneeze. " _Eshshoo! Eshhh! Esh'SHUH!_ "

"Goodness! Bless you." Lena pecked her wife's forehead. "Mariana," she called out.

She came to the threshold. "Yeah?"

"Go get the new box of Kleenex from the kitchen counter, would you?"

"Sure." She left and brought it in, opening it and giving it to Lena.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"No problem. Anything else? I could make you some tea."

Stef blew her nose. "Okay. That'd be nice."

Lena got Stef to sit up as Mariana delivered the mug.

"Thank you, baby."

"Anything for you, Mom." She kissed Stef's head. "I'll be in my room."

"Such a good girl." Stef stated with a smile.

"Yeah, she is."

Stef finished her tea and took some more medicine before lying back down.

"I'm gonna do some laundry."

"Okay, hon. I'll just be here sleeping my life away."

Lena chuckled and left her alone to rest.

 **Just one more chapter left. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Last chapter. Thanks to everybody who's clicked, read, enjoyed, and left reviews.

 **Chapter 6**

Sunday - 11:13 AM

"101.2. _Much_ better."

"How high was it last night?"

"103. You had me worried there for a second."

"I'm gonna take a shower in a few minutes."

"Okay, honey."

"Is Callie at her guitar lesson?"

"No. She still feels tired and decided to sit this one out."

"I need to stretch my legs." Stef sat up and got out of bed on her own for the first time in days and went down the hall.

"Knock, knock," she announced as she went to Callie's and Mariana's door.

Callie was on her bed catching up on make-up work for school. "Hey. You're up. How're you feeling?"

"Better. And you?" She joined Callie.

"A little tired, but okay."

"I'm glad to hear it. What are you working on?"

"History make-up on the Industrial Revolution."

"Ooh, fun."

"Yeah, tons," Callie laughed, which turned into a few coughs.

Stef handed her water that was next to her bed.

"Thanks."

Lena poked her head in. "Hey guys. You doing make-up work, Callie?"

"Yeah."

"Don't forget that you have until Thursday to turn it all in. No need to rush."

"It's not a whole lot, actually. I just have Geometry and English left."

"Okay. Stef, why don't you stop bugging Callie and get in the shower, huh?"

"I'm not bugging her. Right, Cal?"

"It's okay."

"Lena's right. I'm gonna go bathe so I can start feeling like a human again. Don't work too hard." Stef patted Callie's leg and left for the bathroom.

* * *

Sunday - 1:58 PM

Everyone was in the kitchen for lunch when Stef came downstairs. "Hi, babies."

There was a chorus of 'glad you're better' and 'we missed you' as Stef took a seat next to Callie.

"How about a bit of soup and ginger ale?" Lena asked as she set the bowl and glass down in front of her.

"Thank you, love. This looks good. You all took such great care of me."

"Of course we did, Mom. We love you," Mariana said, smiling.

"Yeah, Mom," Brandon agreed.

"Thirded," Jesus winked.

"So...what have I missed? Anything exciting?" Stef asked as she began to eat.

"I joined the STEM Club at school."

"That's awesome, Mari! I'm very proud of you...what is it?"

She rolled her eyes. "STEM stands for Science, Technol—"

A soft _t'chew!_ was heard and everyone turned to look at the only person that it could have come from.

Lena groaned inwardly as a look of realization crossed her face. "Crap."

"Mama down! Mama down!" Jesus bellowed like a blaring alarm.

"I'm so sorry, babe," Stef apologized immediately.

"No, it's okay. I'm just gonna...go to bed," she sighed, resigned to her fate.

Lena knew what was coming with this flu. It was only a matter of time until it would be her turn, but she realized that her amazing wife and kids would help get her through it.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, that's it for this one. Thanks for reading and all of the great reviews. I have a few more things in the works; my second full-length Fosters fic (sickfic) is basically done; I'll probably start posting that on Monday (or maybe sooner) as I give it a final once-over. It is way better (and longer) than this one, if I do say so, myself; it has an actual plot and everything. lol My third story is about ~80% done (more sickfic; I can't help it, there aren't enough of them in this fandom and I'm a firm believer of "If you want something done right, you've gotta do it yourself.") and I'm in the planning stages for two other stories (you guessed it, more sickfic), along with plans for an ongoing series of Callie/family drabbles/one-shots. I'm bad at starting stories and never finishing them or running out of steam, so I'm glad to check this off as 'complete.' I don't want to be one of those authors that leaves people hanging when they're still writing something and figuring out where it's going to go, seeing as I was stuck on this for over a year. When I started this fic in 2013, I was just figuring out how I "see" and "hear" the characters in my head; I can see a clear difference between the beginning chapters of this and the later ones that were completed recently and I know that I still have a lot of room for growth and improvement. However, I am proud of this work. Okay, this got long...

Thanks again for the support and I hope you'll check out what's to come from me in the future. Cheers.


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